The Great Poems of the Bible: A Reader's Companion with New Translations

by James L. Kugel

Book Overview

In The Great Poems of the Bible, James Kugel, acclaimed Harvard scholar and former poetry editor of Harpers Magazine, selects eighteen essential poems from the Hebrew Bible and offers his own original... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068485774X
• ISBN13: 9780684857749
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Intelligent and instructive introduction to Biblical poetry

James Kugel is one of the world's great experts on Biblical literature. In this work he translates a selection of Biblical poetry with the hope of providing a real introduction and feeling of the subject. He makes the point that there are Biblical texts which it is difficult to really classify either as poetry or prose but others which have clearly the special vitality and intensity of poetry. He does not translate all of Tehillim( Psalms) but chooses those which have special meaning for him, 104, 42, 29, 51,23, 137,119. He also translates what he calls Biblical ' one- line poetry' primarily from Ecclesiastes and Proverbs.He has a section from the Song of Songs, from Micah, Isaiah, Ecclesiastes, Jeremiah,Amos, Job, Judges, Samuel I. In an illuminating introduction he talks about the various styles of Biblical poetry from the pastoral direct country style of Amos to the magnificent overwhelming sophistication of Isaiah. He also speaks insightfully about the difficulties of translation and makes the interesting point that peoples of another time 'see and feel things through the language' that we do not. His love of the poetry and knowledge of it is apparent. A wonderful book. Some examples from the section on one- line poetry. " Like the sound of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of fools." Ecclesiastes "If a tree falls to the sourth or to the north, wherever it falls, there it is. " Ecclesiastes " A good man's name is a blessing, but a wicked man's name rots. Proverbs. " One who grabs a dog by the ears, a passerby who meddles in a dispute not hi own." " The north wind gives birth to the rain , and secret speech to an angry face." Proverbs "A name is better than scented oil, and the day of death than the day of one's birth . Ecclesiastes.

Exposing the beauty of Biblical Poetry

This book (interestingly enough written as a textbook for the second half of Professor Kugel's Introduction to the Bible Course) is a beautiful book examining the wonders of Biblical Poetry. As Kugel notes, the poems have none of the classic poetic elements in English of meter or rhyme, but do have this wonderful ____A____|____B____|| element to them. He carefully walks the reader through how the bridge between A and B is important, and develops in a scholarly but totally readable way how the poem generates meaning. Anyone interseted in understanding further how the Bible works, and how it applies to our life should read this book.

A quietly moving tribute...

Kugel's book provides wonderful insight into some of the subtleties that lie behind these 'poems' of the Bible so often lost in translation and literalized in this overly scientific day and age of ours.The poems, with the commentary provided by Kugel, come alive on the page and Kugel's knowledge and enthusiasm for the material is obvious on each and every page. A worthy addition to any collection.

The Poets' poet

The Great Poems of the Bible could also have been titled: "Wisdom in the Bible". In his book, James Kugel shows the depths of thought and feeling that one can encounter in these texts when one takes the time to ponder their words and rhythms. The Wisdom which is put forth is far from the sanctimonious moralizing of some. Rather it is an endeavour to picture the universe as a whole, where in the end harmony triumphs. Kugel's prose itself is a tour de force of poetry and most probably it took a poet to reveal the Poems of the Bible from the all encompassing cries of the Prophets to the "one-liners" of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. One cannot finish this book without desiring to read it over again.

An illuminating Bible Poetry Slam

A reader's companion to some of the poems of the Bible, with Kugel's insights into their hidden beauties of deeper meanings. What do the Psalms tell us about the nature of the soul? What do the shirim/songs and proverbs tell us about monotheism and the afterlife? Kugel is a Professor of Hebrew Literature at Harvard, and a Professor at Bar Ilan University. He is also the former poetry editor of Harper's Magazine. The book includes new translations for Psalms 104, 42, 29, 51, 23, 137 and 119; Deborah's Song from Judges 5; Job 28; David's Lament from Samuel 2(How the mighty have fallen); as well as poems from Jeremiah, Isaiah, Song of Songs; Micah, Ecclesiastes and others. An example of Kugel's illumination is a chapter on Amos' prophecy on "But Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters / And righteousness Like a Mighty Stream." In addition to bringing the poem's language to greater life, Kugel explains the nature of prophecy in ancient Israel, Amos' background as a common citizen, the hidden idea of calling Amaziah's Beth-el a Beth-Sorrow. The chapter continues by discussing the use of two sentence structure in Hebrew prophecy, as in the sentence, "An ox knows its owner, and an ass it's master's trough." From structure, Kugel moves to word choice. For example, why use ox? An animal that is dull witted but readily plows with a yoke. Why use an 'ass' which is smart but cannot be controlled? The word 'knows' also means 'devoted to' and 'obeys', while the word 'master' also means 'Creator' and is an allusion to a Canaanite diety. Thus we discover the hidden beauty of the sentence. All this illumination, and just one sentence. So buy the book and in Hillel's words, "go and learn."